Nintendo Switch New Devkits Are More Powerful Than Older Ones, Insider Reveals

And most of the reports on the system’s specs appear to be based on the older devkits.

Look, the Nintendo Switch isn’t going to be the most powerful system around- we know that at this point. The device is trading off gains in power for a different kind of advancement, one that a lot of people genuinely seem to want- its portability. The Switch’s power, then, appears to be capped by considerations of it also having to act as a handheld in addition to a home console.

That said, it is also unlikely to be as weak as some of the more exaggerated reports out there that you may be hearing. Speaking in a Reddit AMA, Laura Dale, known Nintendo insider who thus far has a 100% track record for accuracy with her leaks on the Switch, reported that the Switch’s October devkit appeared to be more powerful overall than the previous iteration- the previous iteration being the one that a lot of insider stories and reports about the device’s specs had been based on.

“Like pretty much every games console, the switch has gone through multiple dev kit iterations,” she said. “There was one floating around in July a LOT of info on specs has been based on. Another went out to bigger devs in October. Some bigger indies are still working from the July dev kits. The Oct kit is more powerful overall than the July dev kit.”

She also revealed that there are plans for additional docks to be sold after the Switch had launched- and that the docks are planned to be cheap, so that households can purchase multiple ones if necessary. “Some time after launch there will be extra docks. Docks are designed to be relatively cheap and affordable so having 2-3 in a house shouldn’t break the bank. This is based on sources.”

The Nintendo Switch is due to launch worldwide in March 2017; we will learn final details about it on January 12 and January 13, when Nintendo holds events worldwide to take the wraps off of it once and for all.